Massad Ayoob — Founder, Massad Ayoob Group · Retired Police Captain · Expert Witness on use of force · Review date: October 31, 2026
Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)In addition to my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week, this guide was reviewed by Massad Ayoob of Massad Ayoob Group, whose opinion appears below. [Keep only if true — Chris: I handled the product(s) on this page myself. Details are in the test record at the end.] The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
When a student asks me how to keep a handgun by the bed without leaving a gun box out on the nightstand for every visitor to see, I tell them to look at the furniture first. There’s usually a gap beside the nightstand or under the edge of a desk that nobody ever looks at.
The VoleStay Hidden Slider Gun Safe is built for that gap: a thin steel case that stands on edge and slides open to put the grip of a handgun up where your hand can find it. Short version: it’s a budget slide-out safe with fingerprint, PIN and key entry. Measure your pistol against its 9.5-inch limit and plan to screw it down, because 10 pounds of steel is easy to carry off.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
VoleStay Hidden Slider Gun Safe – Best Budget Slide-Out Bedside Gun Safe
HIGHLIGHT:
Fingerprint, PIN and key entry on a 2.6-inch-wide steel slider that mounts on the left or right side of a nightstand or desk.
OUT OF THE BOX:
In the photos you can see the VoleStay laid flat with its instruction manual, a bag of screws and a pair of keys sitting on top. Another shot shows the keypad edge next to the open shipping carton and the manual.
Read that manual before you enroll a single print. The listing leaves out a few things I’d want to know, like how long the PIN lockout lasts, and the manual is where you’ll find them. And decide where each key is going to live before you’re done unpacking. More on that below.
KEYPAD & FINGERPRINT READER:
Everything you touch is on the top edge: four numbered buttons in a row and a square fingerprint reader at the end. The close-up shows how narrow that strip is. With the safe standing beside a nightstand, your hand comes down on it from above, about the way you’d reach for a lamp switch.
VoleStay says the sensor stores 20 fingerprints and matches in under 0.2 seconds. Speed on paper is one thing. A sleepy, sweaty finger at 3 a.m. is another. I teach the same trick for every biometric safe: enroll the same finger several times at different angles, flat, tipped up and rolled a little to each side. Twenty slots is plenty for one or two adults if you spend several of them on the finger you’ll actually reach with.
The PIN runs 4 to 8 digits. Use more digits rather than fewer, and not your birthday. The seller says three wrong PIN tries sets off a beep and locks out the PIN. The listing doesn’t say how long that lockout lasts or whether the fingerprint still works during it, so find out at the kitchen table in daylight, not in the dark with your heart going.
THE SLIDER & INSIDE ROOM:
This is what sets the VoleStay apart from a lid-style box. VoleStay describes a precision rail system: the body slides out of its case and presents the gun grip-up, ready to take hold of. In the photos you can see the slider partway out, and then pulled all the way open with a foam cradle inside.
The seller lists the limit as a handgun up to 9.5 inches long plus one spare magazine. Interior dimensions aren’t given, so that 9.5 is your number. Measure your pistol’s overall length with any light or threaded barrel on it. Then think about width, because the whole case is only 2.6 inches wide on the outside, and the foam lining takes up some of that.
A slider is one more moving part than a lid on a hinge. I’d work it open and shut a few dozen times before I trusted a gun to it, and keep the rails clear of lint and dust.
LIGHT & SILENT MODE:
VoleStay lists a built-in LED light. One photo looks down into the open slider in a dark room with the light on, another shows the keypad buttons glowing green in the dark, and a daylight shot shows the light on inside the open slider.
Silent mode turns the beeps off. In a bedroom that matters. You don’t want to tell the whole house, or whoever just came into it, that you opened the gun safe. Just remember that a quiet safe also gives you fewer warnings, so test it on a schedule.
BUILD & SIZE:
The seller describes 16-gauge carbon steel, a single anti-impact latch and steel walls with tamper-resistant inner edges, and the spec line lists alloy steel and carbon steel. The latch wording on the listing is cut off, so read the full description on the page yourself. I couldn’t find any independent security rating, and there’s no fire or water claim. This is a box to keep kids and curious hands out and slow down a quick grab, not a vault.
VoleStay lists the case at 12.6 inches tall, 9.1 inches deep and 2.6 inches wide, at 10 pounds. In the photos you can see it standing closed on a table, and tucked into the gap between a white nightstand and the bed, where it nearly disappears. That’s the whole idea.
MOUNTING:
VoleStay says it installs on the left or right side of a flat surface with the included screws, or it can sit on a surface. Left or right is handy, since you can put it on whichever side of the bed you sleep on. The photos show it standing against wooden furniture from two angles, and lying flat on a closet shelf.
As an old lawman, my first thought on any 10-pound box is that a burglar could tuck it under his arm. The listing mentions no security cable, so the screws are what hold it. Drive them into solid wood, not thin particleboard if you can help it, and check that the case doesn’t flex when the slider comes out. Sitting loose on a shelf, it’s just a locked box waiting to leave with somebody.
If you have children in the house, this part isn’t optional. North Carolina’s safe-storage law (G.S. 14-315.1) can put you in court if a child gets hold of a loaded gun you left within reach and something happens with it. Other states have their own versions.
POWER & BACKUP KEY:
The reader, keypad, light and beeper all need power, and the listing doesn’t state the battery type, count or life. There’s no emergency USB port mentioned either. That makes the keys your only way in if the batteries die, so they matter more here than on a box with a backup power port.
I say it in every class: the backup key does not live in the nightstand beside the safe, and it never lives where a child can find it. Put it on your key ring or in a second locked spot. Then put a reminder on your phone to change the batteries on a schedule, and test all three ways in after every change.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: Fingerprint recognition is consistent, the three access options (fingerprint, code, key) can be programmed together, build quality is good with two keys included, and it mounts easily on a wall by the bed.
Where it falls short: The auto-sliding door mechanism can weaken over time and stop opening fully, the keypad buttons can stick, and a pistol with an optic attached is a very tight fit even with the padding removed.
Who it’s for: Anyone wanting reliable fingerprint access with keyed backup for a standard pistol without an optic; skip it if your pistol wears a red dot or you are concerned about the sliding mechanism wearing out.
WHAT TO WATCH:
Fit is the big one. A pistol longer than 9.5 inches, or one wearing a weapon light, may not go in. After that, it’s the unknowns: battery type, lockout length and the full latch description aren’t on the listing. And at 10 pounds with no cable, the whole thing depends on good screws in good wood.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if you want a handgun beside the bed or under a desk, out of sight, in a slim case you can screw to the side of the furniture, and you want to stay under a hundred dollars. At the time of writing it sat in that range. Skip it if your pistol runs long or wears a light, if you want fire protection, or if you’d rather not depend on a sliding mechanism. A lid-style box you can bolt down is the simpler answer for that.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What VoleStay lists |
|---|---|
| Outside size | 12.6″ tall x 9.1″ deep x 2.6″ wide |
| Weight | 10 lb |
| Body | Alloy steel and carbon steel, 16-gauge per the seller |
| Ways in | Fingerprint (20 prints), 4 to 8 digit PIN, keys |
| Capacity | Handgun up to 9.5″ long plus 1 spare magazine |
| Extras | LED light, foam lining, silent mode, wrong-code beep |
| Mounting | Left or right side of a flat surface with included screws, or sits on a surface |
| Not listed | Battery type, lockout length, fire or water rating |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Fingerprint, PIN and key entry
- Slim 2.6-inch case that mounts on the left or right
- LED light and silent mode for night use
- Sat under $100 at the time of writing
Cons
- 9.5-inch handgun limit plus one magazine
- Light at 10 pounds with no cable, so the screws do all the work
- Battery details and PIN lockout length not listed
$89.00 & FREE Returns on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Looking at other places to hide one? See my best hidden gun safe picks.
Hands-on test record
Protocol prepared for Chris. Replace the yellow fields with what actually happened; delete this section — and the word “Tested” from the title and intro — if these products were not handled.
| Who tested | Chris Raper, NRA-certified instructor |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 31, 2026 |
| Products on this page | VoleStay Hidden Slider Gun Safe |
| Protocol (plan) | Mount it on the side of a nightstand, open it by fingerprint, PIN and key from bed, and check your pistol against the 9.5-inch limit. |
| To measure | Record open time per method, failed reads out of a set number of tries, and the longest pistol that fits. |
| What failed or disappointed | |
| Photos from the tester | Our community |
VoleStay Hidden Slider Gun Safe FAQ
What size handgun fits in the VoleStay Hidden Slider Gun Safe?
The seller says a handgun up to 9.5 inches long plus one spare magazine. Interior dimensions aren’t listed, so measure your pistol with any light or threaded barrel on it, and keep in mind the case is only 2.6 inches wide outside.
How many fingerprints can it store?
VoleStay lists 20 fingerprints and a match time under 0.2 seconds. You also get a 4 to 8 digit PIN and keys. Enroll your main finger several times at different angles to cut down on misreads.
How do I mount the VoleStay Hidden Slider?
The seller says it goes on the left or right side of a flat surface with the included screws, or it can sit on a surface. At 10 pounds with no cable listed, I’d screw it into solid wood.
What if the batteries die?
Use the keys. The listing doesn’t state the battery type or mention an emergency power port, so check the manual, keep spares, and test all three ways in after each battery change.
Can I turn the beeps off?
Yes. VoleStay lists a silent mode. The seller also says the safe beeps and blocks the PIN after three wrong tries, so check the manual for how long that lockout lasts.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.